There was tension in Plateau politics on Monday after former APC councillors in the state openly rejected Governor Caleb Mutfwang over fresh rumours that he is planning to join the All Progressives Congress.
The group, operating under the Councillors Forum of Nigeria, Plateau State chapter, held a briefing in Jos where they dismissed the alleged plan.
They insisted that the governor is not wanted in their party.
According to the chairman of the forum, John Dashe, he said the move—if true—amounts to a “desperate attempt” to “smuggle him into the party through the back door.”
He said the governor had repeatedly mocked the APC in the past and claimed the party no longer existed in Plateau State.
Dashe wondered why a man who “says one thing and does the opposite” would suddenly be interested in joining a party he once described as collapsing.
According to him, the governor’s alleged ambition lacks value because the current administration has struggled with governance failures, poor infrastructure, and what he described as the disengagement of thousands of Plateau youths.
Dashe also accused the government of ignoring court judgments and removing elected local government officials across the state.
He argued that such actions make the governor unfit to join what he called a “progressive” party.
The forum reminded the APC leadership that the governor strongly criticised the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket during the 2023 elections.
They said many party members have not forgotten those comments.
They urged President Bola Tinubu, the APC National Chairman, and the state leadership not to welcome the governor into the party.
Dashe insisted that the APC already has solid representation in both the national and state Assemblies and that Mutfwang has nothing new to offer.
The rumoured defection has created division within the Plateau APC.
Some chieftains strongly oppose the idea, while others appear open to it.
Meanwhile, Governor Mutfwang has maintained that he is not leaving the Peoples Democratic Party.
He has restated his loyalty to the PDP.
Responding to the controversy, the Publicity Secretary of the Plateau PDP, Dr. Felix Choji, dismissed the ex-councillors’ claims.
He said they were creating distractions for reasons best known to them.
Choji noted that the governor has made his position clear several times.
He said Mutfwang will remain focused on delivering good governance and will allow God and the people of Plateau State to guide his political decisions.
He urged the former councillors to stop dragging the governor into issues that do not concern him.
